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How to Outsource Design Successfully: Working with Design Freelancers and Creative Agencies

How to Outsource Design Successfully: Working with Design Freelancers and Creative Agencies

How to Outsource Design Successfully: Working with Design Freelancers and Creative Agencies
Written by Vicki Chagger

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Outsourcing design work to design freelancers or creative agencies is inevitable for most growing businesses as demand increases above your current capacity.

Working with external experts needn’t be seen as failure. In fact, it brings a fresh perspective to your projects. Design outsourcing is a successful strategy to increase your design output with less risk and spend.

But how do you outsource effectively? In this guide, we’ll cover the four stages to develop when finding your next hire or agency to partner with, so that you can keep your design process streamlined and successfully get rid of bottlenecks.

1. Establish what design work you need to outsource

First things first, it’s vital to understand exactly what it is that you need to outsource. Do you need landing page design work or responsive UX? Do you need hand drawn illustrations or stop animation graphics? 

You may need a variety of design types in order to deliver a large scale project, so knowing the deliverables required up front will allow you to make strategic decisions when looking for a design freelancer or creative agency to jump on board. 

In this stage, consider these areas:

  • What budgets do you have? 

Establishing what you can and cannot invest up front will save you time and money down the road. Your budget will guide you when searching for the right partners, but be realistic. No one wants to get into the briefing stage only to discover the fees are unaffordable, it’s a waste of both yours and the freelancer/agency’s time. And time = money. 

Understand your bandwidth and how flexible you’re able to be for the right person or team, sometimes a little extra investment can pay off.

  • What collaboration style are you looking for? 

By this, we mean establishing how much support you require. You might want to bring on a creative agency with a wide range of expertise, or an individual design freelancer to produce design assets only and be an extra pair of hands. 

Determine the boundaries between you and your hire. Are they joining your team to bring their own brand status to your project, or working in the background? Some design freelancers and agencies may not want to be ‘ghost’ designers, yet more flexible solutions  like Design Force can be the invisible support behind the scenes. 

  • Does the location of your hire(s) matter to you?

If you need someone that’s able to come into your office or studio each week, make note of this before starting your search. 

Many design freelancers or creative agencies work remotely, but each will have their own restrictions with communication. If you’re looking for in-house meetings, searching for design freelancers in the United States, within your own state or city will be a key determining factor. 

  • Nail your brief and contract

It may seem obvious, but having a clear and detailed brief will assess upfront whether or not the design freelancer or creative agency is suitable for the job. 

Having a clear and detailed contract of what’s expected from both parties is essential to protect both you, your clients and the outsourced support. If you’re unsure on what needs to be included in your contract, seek out advice from a lawyer within your niche.

2. Research your options: Design Freelancer or Creative Agency?

Finding the right person or team for the job comes down to research via Google searches, recommendations or outbound marketing from you in the form of job advertisements. 

Both design freelancers and creative agencies will have talents in a specific niche or style. Use your brief and determined deliverables to guide you on where to search and how to frame your call outs. 

If time isn’t on your side here, a Design Force subscription will give you direct access to high-class designers from all over the world, and onboarding only takes one day.

3. Establish your design systems

Design systems (brand books, brand identity, processes etc.) make sure all work conforms to your team’s style and high standard. 

Lay the groundwork for project management throughout: Who will manage the freelance designer or creative agency? How will feedback be monitored and maintained?

With a creative agency like Design Force on board, you’ll be given a dedicated Design Manager to handle any external designers for you, meaning less organization and time-dedication from your already busy teams. 

4. Create memorable design work

The best part: get the ball rolling and produce memorable and effective design work!

Remember to reflect, feedback and refine as you go, so that you can effectively scale and improve your collaborations with external freelance designers or creative agencies. 

You’re ready to successfully outsource design work!

So there’s our guide to outsourcing the right person or team for your next client-wowing project. Are you ready to scale your business?

If you can’t decide between the two options, Design Force could be the solution you’re looking for. Our on-demand subscription service gives you access to the highly-skilled designers and expertise of creative agencies, with the flexibility and one-to-one contact of a freelancer. Get in touch today and get your outsourcing needs covered in just one day!

Author
Vicki Chagger
Vicki is a UK-based brand strategist, content writer, and lifelong design enthusiast with over 10 years of experience collaborating across diverse industries. Passionate about sustainability and thoughtful design, she enjoys working with brands that care about their impact on the planet.
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